Giant new cruise ship will be the biggest ever to sail Alaska

24.07.2024 - 20:03 / thepointsguy.com / Royal Caribbean / Star Princess

Megaship fans are about to have a major new option for an Alaska cruise.

Princess Cruises on Wednesday announced that its next giant new ship, the 4,300-passenger Star Princess, will spend its first summer sailing to Alaska out of Seattle.

Scheduled to debut in October 2025, the vessel will begin Alaska sailings in May of 2026, the line said.

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Star Princess, notably, will be the biggest cruise ship ever to sail to Alaska.

At around 178,000 gross tons, it will be about 5% bigger than the current size leader in the Alaska market, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Encore. That ship measures 169,116 gross tons.

The next-biggest ships in the Alaska market are Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas, each of which measures 168,666 gross tons.

All three of the vessels sail to Alaska from Seattle, which is traditionally home to the biggest cruise ships sailing to Alaska.

Two other vessels that are almost as large, Norwegian's 168,028-ton Norwegian Bliss and 167,725-ton Norwegian Joy, will also sail to Alaska out of Seattle in 2026.

Thus, the arrival of Star Princess in Seattle in 2026 will set up a six-way "battle of the megaships" out of Seattle for the summer of 2026.

When it launches, Star Princess will be the second vessel in Princess' long-awaited new Sphere Class of ships. Under development for more than six years, the Sphere Class includes the just-unveiled Sun Princess.

Related: The best Alaska shore excursions

The Sphere Class ships are significantly bigger than previous Princess ships and offer several notable new-for-the-line features, including suites that come with exclusive access to a private restaurant, a lounge and a sundeck.

Additionally, the Sphere Class ships have been designed with an innovative new type of "cabana cabin" along their extra-wide 10th deck that comes with access to a private deck area. Plus, the top decks of the ships have some unusual-for-Princess sizzle with the addition of a glass-dome-topped pool area that transforms into a nightspot after the sun goes down.

Princess on Wednesday announced that Star Princess would be one of eight ships it sends to Alaska for the summer of 2026 — its biggest Alaska deployment ever.

Princess has long been the leader in Alaska cruises along with its sister company, Holland America.

The line on Wednesday didn't reveal the specific itinerary that Star Princess would sail in Alaska, but a spokesperson told TPG the itineraries would be seven-night sailings. The itineraries will go live and be available to book on Princess's website Aug. 1.

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